BC Soccer News, Wednesday, May 10, 2017

VANCOUVER WHITECAPS FC & MLS NEWS

MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER

HOUSTON DYNAMO vs. VANCOUVER WHITECAPS FC

MLS MATCHDAY #10

FRIDAY, MAY 12, 2017, 6:00 PM

BBVA COMPASS STADIUM, HOUSTON, TX.

TV: TSN 1 RADIO: TSN 1410 ONLINE: TSN GO

Whitecaps thrilled to sign ‘exciting’ Ibini – SN
Vancouver Whitecaps coach Carl Robinson has claimed Bernie Ibini has “great upside” and will provide the MLS side with a different option up front after signing the Australian from Club Brugge.

Ibini adds pace, athleticism to Whitecaps attack – Red Nation Online
The Vancouver Whitecaps added some much-needed depth just before the MLS primary transfer window closed on Monday night. The Caps were able to acquire Bernie Ibini from Belgian Pro League side, Club Brugge KV. The 24 year-old Nigerian born and Australian raised Ibini was on loan with A-League side, Sydney FC.

Brek Shea’s return for Vancouver seems heroic, and it’s fitting – MLS
For most of this past Friday night’s match at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park, a match-up between the Colorado Rapids and the Vancouver Whitecaps, the proceedings stumbled along glacially. The entire affair yielded a whopping three total shots on target. Probably, somewhere in the stadium’s rafters, the owl who makes its nest up there softly hooted the saddest bird song.

Brek breaks through on and off the pitch – Red Nation Online
Spring is in the air, the weather is turning around in Vancouver. People are checking off things on their to-do list so they can get out and enjoy life. Professional athletes are no different. They’re often left juggling a lot of things at once, while must-tasking to keep sport, and family life balanced.

Whitecaps v Rapids: What did we learn?– Soccer Shorts
So I was beginning to develop an embryo of a theory which vaguely posited the assertion that Major League Soccer had evolved from one form of creature to another.

BBVA Compass Stadium celebrates five-year anniversary this Friday – Houston Dynamo
On Friday, May 12 when the Houston Dynamo host Vancouver Whitecaps FC at 6 p.m. PT, a special milestone will take place: BBVA Compass Stadium will celebrate its five-year anniversary. The stadium officially opened its doors on May 12, 2012 for a Dynamo home game against D.C. United.

TFC will keep Columbus guessing Wednesday night – Toronto Sun
The Reds stayed unbeaten (3-0-2) against Western Conference sides following a stunning win in Seattle last weekend and have, once again, been deemed the “team to beat” in the East after surging to four wins in three weeks.

‘I wanted this challenge,’ new Impact midfielder Blerim Dzemaili says – Montreal Gazette
Swiss international Blerim Dzemaili arrived on a flight from Frankfurt, Germany, to a much smaller audience, walking through sliding doors — just like every other passenger from an international flight. Indeed, if not for the phalanx of cameras and media, the 31-year-old, dressed casually in jeans and white sneakers, could have inconspicuously drifted off into the terminal with ease.

After 9 Games, NYCFC Is Potent and Confident – Empire of Soccer
Back-to-back wins against conference contenders Columbus Crew and Atlanta United are enough to inspire hot takes and superlative declarations about New York City FC’s status as a contender for MLS Cup, but it’s only been nine games so let’s not go there. Instead, NYCFC (5-3-1, 16 points) is coming together like a contender but the board doesn’t look like the picture yet.

What’s the highest-pressure coaching gig in MLS? – MLS
Portland Timbers owner Merritt Paulson certainly doesn’t shy away from the strong opinions, and he was on fire during last week’s appearance on ESPN FC’s Max and Herc Podcast, claiming there’s “more pressure on the head coach of the Portland Timbers than there is on the head coach of the LA Galaxy.”

Phil Rawlins is leaving Orlando, and it’s a much better place than he found it – Orlando Sentinel
Phil Rawlins, the father and founder of Orlando City Soccer Club, is leaving us and moving across the country. Phil didn’t just put the Beautiful Game on the map in Orlando; he drew the damn map. And then he made us believe in that map. And then he convinced us to follow his kooky, crazy directions and took us on this unbelievable, inconceivable journey to where we are today.

Derek Rae: Perception of MLS in the UK has come a long way – Prost Amerika
If anyone is qualified to talk about how MLS has evolved, it is Derek Rae. He was there at the very start and called Major League Soccer games for the New England Revolution between 1996 and 2001. He took a year out in 2000 to work for the MetroStars and also called Los Angeles Galaxy games in 1996.

KYSA round-up to May 7, 2016 – Kamloops This Week
Mathew Murphy and Eric Swaine tallied for Kamloops Blaze Orange in a 2-0 victory over Kamloops Blaze Blue in under-14 Thompson Okanagan Youth Soccer League play on Sunday.

3V3 LIVE NATIONAL SOCCER TOUR COMES TO ABBOTSFORD – 3v3 Live Canada
3v3 Live Soccer Tour and Holbrook Sports Management are excited to announce the expansion of the 3v3 Live Soccer Tour into the Canadian soccer market. With the first event previously announced to take place on the August 19/20 weekend in Surrey, BC, the 3v3 Soccer Tour will expand to Abbotsford, BC, on August 20 and will include men’s and women’s open divisions.

REVIEW: The Miracle Mile. Stories of the 1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games – BC BookLook
Author Jason Beck is curator of the BC Sports Hall of Fame in BC Place Stadium, Vancouver, and convenor two years ago of an excellent exhibition about the 1954 Games. In his first book, he proves to be a meticulous researcher, a compelling story-teller, and a crafty realist who knows how to hook his readers. Watch how, two pages into the book, he uses filmic technique to evoke the arriving athletes’ youthful buzz and give period colouring and costuming, but then smartly moves his camera in to introduce his stars.

Becoming a BC Soccer Referee – BCSA
Whether you are an experienced referee new to British Columbia or if you are new to the discipline of refereeing BC Soccer Assoc. has a clinic and a pathway for you. The minimum age to become a referee is 12 years old (small sided) and 14 years old (11-a-side). Please enjoy the short video showcasing some Referee programs that BC Soccer offers and continue below for more on how to become a referee in BC!

To our Readers: A Choice – BC Soccer Web
Soccer has brought us to the United States many times. It’s a great place with decent people. We especially look forward to our Cascadia trips to Seattle and Portland. They’re incredible cities with wonderful supporters. That’s why it was so disheartening to see chaos and fear take hold in the airports and borders of our neighbours to the south.

2016 BC Soccer Provincial Cup Photo Galleries – BC Soccer Web
Westhills Stadium & Goudy Park in Langford hosted the 2016 BC Soccer Adult Provincial Cup Finals. It was a thrilling weekend of soccer on Vancouver Island that saw seven champions crowned. Richmond FC & Surrey Pegasus qualified for the National Championships this Fall in St. John’s, Newfoundland. Both Coquitlam Metro-Ford Masters & Classics sides qualified for the Western Canadian Masters Championships in Winnipeg, Manitoba. In all, it was a clean sweep for teams from the VMSL & MWSL. Monique Lamoureux & Bill Currie from BC Soccer Web were on location that weekend, capturing the all the action.

Free Physiotherapy Clinical Trial for Achilles Pain at UBC – UBC Centre for Hip Health & MobilityDo you have Achilles pain? Interested in free Physiotherapy? If yes, join our clinical trial to look at the effectiveness of intramuscular stimulation (IMS), a form of acupuncture therapy, in treating Achilles tendon pain.

The BC Soccer Web Guide to Empire Field – BC Soccer Web
Empire Fields and Plateau Sports Park is the lofty and formal name given to Vancouver’s newest addition to the soccer scene. Yet, anyone who’s ever kicked or carried both kinds of footballs around these parts knows the place by heart.

Send your Soccer News to BC Soccer Web! – BC Soccer Web
BC Soccer Web is the hub for soccer in British Columbia. We want to share your soccer news with the entire province, and you can help by letting us know! We want your match reports, club news, league standings, and info on upcoming tournaments and clinics. Whether you submit links to existing news on the web, or your own original writing, we want to share it with the soccer community in B.C.

Fury FC Set for Tough Road Clash – Ottawa Fury
Ottawa Fury FC returns to the Battle of the North on Wednesday night at Clarke Stadium in Edmonton as it looks to earn a place in the semifinals of the 2017 Canadian Championship and eliminate the Eddies for a second consecutive year.

Eddies look to rally against Fury, while the city’s eyes will be on the Oilers – the11.ca
If a soccer game happens during the height of the NHL playoffs, will anyone hear (or see it)? Wednesday marks the umpteenth time a Canadian Championship game will be upstaged by hockey. Yet, season after season, the Canadian Soccer Association plows forward with a schedule that sees what’s supposed to the marquee soccer event in this country get drowned out during the sports media’s busiest time of the year.

Regina’s soccer community welcomes international match – Regina Leader Post
Local soccer players, coaches and fans were on hand for Tuesday’s announcement at the Credit Union EventPlex that the New York Cosmos and Valencia FC are to play a friendly match at Mosaic Stadium on July 22.

State of the game in Canada: 2017 League1 Ontario – Red Nation Online
Now in it’s fourth season, League1 Ontario continues to expand and has established itself as a league that helps players in advancing their careers, but also is a legitimate soccer league across the province of Ontario.

WSA Winnipeg Pre-Season Primer 2 – 2017 Preview – Northern Starting XI
The 2017 season is less than 2 weeks away for WSA Winnipeg. The good news is that the majority of the 2016 players are returning this year. That makes them a year older, wiser, and more experienced. That experience will be important to keep up with their Heartland Divisions competitors.

Soccer: Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup begins Wednesday – NewsOK
A record 99 U.S. soccer clubs will compete in the 104th U.S. Open Cup tournament, the only competition in major American professional sports where amateur and lower-division (minor league) clubs can compete against clubs from the top professional league.

Cosmos Set Exhibitions in Canada and Saudi Arabia – Empire of Soccer
The New York Cosmos are trying their best to live up their reputation around the globe as the most recognizable soccer brand in United States soccer Hours after announcing a July 22 exhibition against La Liga’s Valencia in Canada, the defending champions of the North American Soccer League sandwiched in a match on May 20 against Al-Hilal of Saudi Arabia, in the middle of their Spring Season schedule..

Reno 1868 FC’s Dane Kelly named USL Player of the Week – My News 4
Reno 1868 striker Dane Kelly was honored as the USL Player of the Week following his dominant performance in the team’s first ever win last Saturday in Phoenix. Kelly tallied a hat trick, scoring two of his goals in the first 10 minutes in 1868’s 4-0 win over Rising.

NPSL continues to expand and aims to prevent exits – Soctakes
The NPSL is preparing for a strong year. The league just kicked off their season with 96 teams, and that number is expected to rise significantly this year, based on a strong set of expansion teams.

Carli Lloyd skips Man City game to promote FIFA in Bahrain – Sportsnet
Manchester City allowed FIFA Player of the Year Carli Lloyd to miss a domestic league match in England on Tuesday, breaking off from preparations for the FA Cup final, to fly to the Middle East to promote world soccer’s governing body.

Carli Lloyd: Unbelievable to live, train alongside Manchester City stars – ESPN W.
If Carli Lloyd doesn’t get enough of a reminder that she’s part of one of the world’s best known soccer clubs while she’s at work, her neighbors make it difficult to forget. Lloyd, who is on a short-term deal with Manchester City’s women’s team, shares an apartment building with City stars like David Silva and Gabriel Jesus, as well as manager Pep Guardiola.

FA Cup final beckons for Stanway – Cumbria Crack
MANCHESTER City young starlet Georgia Stanway has the footballing world at her feet and a bright future in the game, according to current FIFA Women’s World Player of the Year Carli Lloyd.

Women’s game gets second wind in Morocco – FIFA
After having played at two CAF Africa Women Cup of Nations tournaments in a row, at Nigeria 1998 and South Africa 2000, Morocco have since managed to miss out on all the rest. They were eliminated by Mali in 2016, after which those responsible for women’s football in the North African country made qualifying for continental and global competitions a top priority.

FIFA reform process in tatters after elimination of FIFA’s Ethics chiefs – Inside World Football
FIFA’s entire governance apparatus – or lack of it – has come crashing down after the two men mainly responsible for cleaning up the organisation were ousted from their positions today in what will be regarded by many as the ultimate purge orchestrated by Fifa president Gianni Infantino.

Lionel Messi takes snapshot of massive kit collection – NBC Sports
When the final whistle goes on a Barcelona game, the opponents often search out Lionel Messi in an attempt to barter for the shirt on his back. It’s an honor to be selected by Messi to swap. Little do we think of the shirt going in the other direction.